Is a TVR a viable everyday car
Discussion
Ive recently been told im going to loose my company car, and ive always wanted a TVR, so i thought why the hell not!!
I was just wondering if there are any people out there who use a Chimaera as an everday car, and if so what is the general opinion. Is it viable as an everyday car doing a 40 mile round journey, half M-way, half town.
As far as repairs etc go, not a prob, i had two Lancia's previously so im used to getting the hands dirty.
I was just wondering if there are any people out there who use a Chimaera as an everday car, and if so what is the general opinion. Is it viable as an everyday car doing a 40 mile round journey, half M-way, half town.
As far as repairs etc go, not a prob, i had two Lancia's previously so im used to getting the hands dirty.
Simple answer? Yes.
Waffly answer: I bought my Chimaera 500 a year and a half ago, and thought I'd be splitting around 20000 miles per year between that and my cooking car, a BMW 7 series.
Nah. The BMW is *very* *very* good at being a fat cat cruising wagon that doesn't mind a B road thrash.
But I still drive the TVR everywhere, including occasional 140 mile each way commutes.
Every journey's an event, and if it's leakproofed and the wipers and heater work, winter's not a problem either.
Just be prepared for a bunch of services per annum, but even that's not a problem if you use a good specialist. Certainly cheaper than keeping a 7 series BM on the road (mind you, most things are...) Bits and bobs might fall off and need glueing back on, but half of that you can do yourself without needing to bother a dealer or whoever.
Without getting into *that* slagging match, I'd hazard a guess that big miles are known to be do-able on Rover V8 engined models, simply because people have now done big miles in those, whereas the TVR engined cars are that much newer and less likely to have gone to the moon and back yet. I mean, it's a modified Rangey engine, surely the mods shouldn't shorten the life of the engine significantly, especially as it generally has a lot less stress to cope with than a less powerful lump hauling a couple of tons of 4x4 plus mum & kids around.
Just my 2p worth...
Waffly answer: I bought my Chimaera 500 a year and a half ago, and thought I'd be splitting around 20000 miles per year between that and my cooking car, a BMW 7 series.
Nah. The BMW is *very* *very* good at being a fat cat cruising wagon that doesn't mind a B road thrash.
But I still drive the TVR everywhere, including occasional 140 mile each way commutes.
Every journey's an event, and if it's leakproofed and the wipers and heater work, winter's not a problem either.
Just be prepared for a bunch of services per annum, but even that's not a problem if you use a good specialist. Certainly cheaper than keeping a 7 series BM on the road (mind you, most things are...) Bits and bobs might fall off and need glueing back on, but half of that you can do yourself without needing to bother a dealer or whoever.
Without getting into *that* slagging match, I'd hazard a guess that big miles are known to be do-able on Rover V8 engined models, simply because people have now done big miles in those, whereas the TVR engined cars are that much newer and less likely to have gone to the moon and back yet. I mean, it's a modified Rangey engine, surely the mods shouldn't shorten the life of the engine significantly, especially as it generally has a lot less stress to cope with than a less powerful lump hauling a couple of tons of 4x4 plus mum & kids around.
Just my 2p worth...
YES
I've done more than 65k miles in my TVRs in relatavely short periods of time, including more than 30k in my Chimp over 18 months when it was my company car. No real problems. No breakdown. Some niggles, but thats life.
Used 'em every day, rain, sleet, snow and sunshine. A chimp in Snow is a REAL BIG handfull!
Andy
I've done more than 65k miles in my TVRs in relatavely short periods of time, including more than 30k in my Chimp over 18 months when it was my company car. No real problems. No breakdown. Some niggles, but thats life.
Used 'em every day, rain, sleet, snow and sunshine. A chimp in Snow is a REAL BIG handfull!
Andy
I have owned two Chimaeras and now use a Tuscan every day. They are as reliable as most family saloons if used regularly. I had more problems with my Peugeot! Make sure you follow the service schedules rigourously and always check the oil, water and tyres and I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. Have fun.
John
John
Agree with the comments below. I use me 4.5 chimp every day, as do two others I know of at work.
Londons a real pain to commute in/to by train, but somehow the enjoyment of the car (despite traffic, monthly car park fees, traffic, pot-holes, traffic, depreciation etc etc) make it worth while. As does the thought of all those enviornmentalists cycling to work in the cold...
Londons a real pain to commute in/to by train, but somehow the enjoyment of the car (despite traffic, monthly car park fees, traffic, pot-holes, traffic, depreciation etc etc) make it worth while. As does the thought of all those enviornmentalists cycling to work in the cold...
Good question - Ive got a chimaera 450 that has done 200 miles a day to/from work for the last 3 months, its gr8 apart from needing to be sponsored by Shell for motion lotion. The car loves it, they're made to be used not stuck in a garage. All the people I know who have running problems hardly use em. It dont like gettin stuck in traffic tho - arrived at work a few times looking like i'd been in a sauna fully clothed...hot in the city! Wouldnt change it tho, beats my last 5 series into a cocked hat...live the dream!
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